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Oakland Magazine »  Dining »  Restaurant Guide

Restaurant Guide

Vanessa's Bistro

Categories:
  • Vietnamese

Essential Information

1715 Solano Ave
Berkeley, CA

510-525-8300

Vanessa Dang and daughter Vi Nguyen have a tiny but highly stylish crimson-hued, bamboo-accented Solano Avenue restaurant that invites with understated hints of Vietnam such as the subdued painting of two women in ao dais and conical hats. This place bustles with activity and quick table turnover, and it’s easy to see why, because the French-infused Vietnamese dishes here, delivered by always-pleasant servers, are delicious, so eaten up in a flash. Heat-seeking flavorists will be well served to follow the spicy route, selecting from among Dang’s stellar starters and openers. Lightly poached prawns, mint and roasted peanuts add zip to the zesty green papaya salad; caustic peppers give the lemongrass chicken a fiery undertone; a spicy lime dipping sauce enlivens just-right fried salt and pepper prawns; and the wok-fried garlic beans with tofu star the freshest bean curd this side of the Pacific. For a sweet treat after all that heat, try the Fuji apple and coconut egg roll with vanilla ice cream and honey. For those who can’t make the trip to Saigon this year, this food will at least get those taste buds closer. Dinner Wed.–Mon.

Additional Information

Area: Berkeley

Price: $$

Features:
Beer And Or Wine
Credit Cards Accepted
Reservations Accepted
Wheelchair Accessible

Website: http://vanessasbistro.com/